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Monday, December 5, 2011

More smoke free Japanese restaurants in Japan please

By Carole Goldsmith - Copyright - All Rights Reserved

Just back from number 20 trip to Japan and I am astounded that the Japanese laws still allow smoking in restaurants. Every restaurant I went to in Osaka and Kyoto in the evening, had smokers puffing away in part of the restaurant. Half of the restaurant in some of them was smoke free so the staff told me.....yes - I saw the smoke drifting across the restaurant. So to avoid the poisons of second hand smoke and a coughing fit, I did not dine at any of these restaurants.. they were not smoke free. Also at Takayama and Koyasan, the two restaurants that I ate lunch at, you guessed it, someone lit up near me, so I departed pretty quickly.

There was one restaurant at Kyoto station that had no smoking over lunchtime, that was delightful. Apart from all the Western restaurants that surround Kyoto station, I could nor find one Japanese restaurant that was smoke free for the evening meal. Seven Eleven meals come in handy when you can't go to restaurants because of the tobacco smoke pollution.

Why don't some innovative Japanese set up smoke free Japanese restaurants in Japan. .

The Japanese Ministry of health is promoting no smoking habits as smoking related cancer and stroke is rising rapidly in Japan.

At least young people have to now prove they are 18, before they can buy cigarettes from vending machines.
This was not the case a couple of years ago, there were no restrictions on buying cigarettes from vending machines.

Maybe when the restaurant employees start suing the owners for smoking related illness and the smoking related health bill climb higher, the laws allowing smoking in restaurants may be changed.

I and the many other visitors to Japan who are used to smoke free work and dining environments in our own countries, we would love smoke free Japanese restaurants to go to in Japan.

1 comment:

Smoking is still allowed in most public places in Japan, but authorities have tried to discourage smoking in public areas such as airports, train stations and government buildings. A lot of places in Japan now have designated smoking rooms with most Japanese smokers complying.

About Me

Carole is an international journalist and educator. She writes articles on manufacturing, logistics, nanotechnology, OSH, travel and Japan. Carole travels to Japan every year reporting for global meida and exploring the country for new tips on traveling Japan on a Budget to share with her Japan on a budget travelers and students.